Parsley: Growing Practices and Nutritional Information

By Roby Jose Ciju

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum formerly known as Petroselinum hortense) is a biennial herbal spice crop belongs to the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). It can successfully be cultivated both in tropical and temperate climates. Commercially it is grown as an annual and its economically significant part is its aromatic leaves. Parsley is believed to be originated in the region comprising of Europe and western Asia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: agrihortico
• Release date: May 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463672877

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Parsley

Growing Practices and Nutritional Information

Roby Jose Ciju

Copyright © 2019 AGRIHORTICO

All rights reserved.

https://www.agrihortico.com

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all those who love nature and plants, who love healthy living and gardening, and also to the growers of all kinds of plants…

acknowledgement

Without the blessings of the Lord Almighty, and without the support of a loving family, we are nothing. Acknowledging all the support and love I receive from my spouse, my parents, and my sisters…

Parsley: An Introduction

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum formerly Petroselinum hortense) is a biennial herbal spice crop belongs to the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). It can successfully be cultivated both in tropical and temperate climates. Commercially it is grown as an annual crop for its leaves. Economically significant part of parsley is its aromatic leaves which are used as a fresh seasoning herb and also as a raw material for extracting the much valuable parsley oil. Parsley is grown as a biennial crop for seed purposes. Parsley seeds are also used for parsley oil extraction. However parsley leaf oil is superior to parsley seed oil. Parsley is believed to be originated in the region comprising of Europe and Western Asia.

Botanical Description: Parsley is a small herbaceous plant with bright green leaves which are triangular in shape. Each leaf has numerous leaflets, number of which varies from 3-leaflet (tripinnate) in plain parsley varieties to numerous in greatly curled and divided parsley varieties. Length of leaves ranges between 10 and 25 cm. Parsley has a tap root system where the main tap root is divided into small numerous branches. Flowering stem grows up to one meter tall that bears flat-topped compound umbels with small yellow to yellowish-green flowers. Fruits are 2-3 mm long, crescent shaped, and rigid. Seeds are ovoid in shape, and are 2–3 mm long. They are brown colored, smooth, ribbed and ovate. Plant height differs with variety. Dwarf curly varieties reach up to a height of 40-50 cm at maturity. Tall plain leaf varieties of parsley plants reach at a height of 1.5 to 2 feet on maturity.

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Figure 1: Parsley Flowers

Types of Parsley

There are three types of parsley, namely, curly leaf parsley, plain leaf parsley, and turnip-rooted parsley. Among these, curly leaf parsley and plain leaf parsley are grown for its aromatic leaves. Their chopped fresh leaves are used as a garnish in soups, salads, stews; sauces etc and dried leaf flakes are used as a flavouring agent in many continental food preparations. Turnip-rooted parsley is mainly grown for its edible roots. 

Curly-leaf Parsley

Scientific name of curly leaf parsley is Petroselinum crispum var. crispum. Curly parsley cultivars have very decorative, curled and crisped leaves having high ornamental value. This parsley variety is known for its excellent garnishing properties because of the texture and colour that it adds to a variety of foods. Curly types are early-maturing, dwarf parsley plants that grow up to a height up to 14 to 15 inches at maturity. They grow in dense clumps.

A list of popular curly leaf parsley varieties is given below:

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Figure 2: Curly Leaf Parsley

Forest Green: It is a semi-curled variety of parsley. This variety has long, stiff stems with easy bunching habit. This parsley variety is suitable for using as a fresh garnish, dried herb and frozen herb.

Extra Curled Dwarf: It is an early-maturing, dense, compact variety of parsley. It matures within 40 to 60 days. As the name suggests, this variety has very curly leaves thus making it suitable for growing as a nice ornamental plant.

Banquet: It is an overwintering variety of curly leaf parsley.

Titan:  It is a specialty flat-leaf variety of parsley with sweet taste and strong flavour. Its small and dark green leaves make it an attractive garnish.

Some other popular varieties of curly leaf parsley are, Dark Moss Colored, Decorator, Deep Green, Improved Market Gardener, Moss Curled, Moss Curled II, Sherwood, Champion Moss, Darki, Krausa, and Lisette.

Plain-leaf Parsley